Flow and Thermal Energy Measurements for Energy Efficiency Tasks

The production facilities and R&D labs of a global pharmaceuticals manufacturer have launched a program to reduce the total energy consumption (and thus CO2 emissions) by optimising its production processes. The first step in an effective plan to reduce CO2 emissions is to establish procedures for a systematic recording of the energy consumption.

With 90 buildings in an area of 36 hectares, the french site of the company forms a complex and extensive infrastructure network. Demineralised water and hot water (up to 170 °C under considerable pressure) are among the process media provided in a central system. In order to be able to measure their consumption by individual production units, the plant operators decided to fit the measuring points with FLEXIM's non-invasive clamp-on ultrasonic technology.
The advantages of the non-invasive measuring technology are obvious:
100% hygienic measurement from the pipe wall outside with no interruption to production when setting up measuring points.

Before deciding on a manufacturer, several clamp-on measurement systems were tested and evaluated by the client. The operator decided to go for FLEXIM based on the fact that even very low flow rates with correspondingly low flow velocities (down to only a few liters per hour) can be accurately detected. They were also convinced by FLEXIM's transducers which can be permanently used in process temperatures up to 200 °C.

Advantages

Reliable and accurate measurement of (very low) flow rates and thermal energy regardless of the conductivity of the medium

Measuring points can be set up without any pipe work or any interruption to production